Google: Apple lied to FCC over Google Voice App

Google has accused Apple of lying to the US government over the Google Voice application being rejected for inclusion in Apple's App store.

The claims come as Google backtracks on its FCC filing over the incident asking for previously redacted content to be made publicly available.

"When we submitted our letter on August 21, we asked the FCC to redact certain portions that involved sensitive commercial conversations between two companies -- namely, a description of e-mails, telephone conversations, and in-person meetings between executives at Google and Apple", Google says in a statement.

However following a series of Freedom of Information Act requests Google said it contacted the FCC in the US asking for those redacted comments to be removed.

The result shows that, if Google is to be believed, Apple's Phil Schiller personally rejected the Google Voice App as well as choosing to make the same call on Google Latitude.

"June 2, 2009. The primary points of contact between the two companies were Alan Eustace, Google Senior Vice President of Engineering & research, and Phil Schiller, Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing. On July 7, Mr. Eustace and Mr. Schiller spoke over the phone. It was during this call that Mr. Schiller informed Mr. Eustace that Apple was rejecting the Google Voice application for the reasons described above in 2(a)", the FCC filing reads.

The response to the questions first filed at the beginning of June portrays a very different set of events detailed by Apple.

In its open letter at the end of August, Apple said that it did not approve the Google Voice application, not because of intervention from the AT&T but because:

"It appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail".

Apple says that the application hasn't even been rejected, it just hasn't been approved.

"Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it... These factors present several new issues and questions to us that we are still pondering at this time".

"We continue to work with Apple and others to bring users the best mobile Google experience possible", Google ended its statement on the matter.

Stuart has been a tech journalist since 1998 and written for a number of publications around the world. Regularly turning up on television, radio and in newspapers, Stuart has played with virtually every gadget available.